48 The Black Bear 



and their cheering audience in the doorway. But even 

 Ben's muscles of steel had their limit of endurance, 

 and after a few circles of the room with the three riders 

 he suddenly stopped and rolled over on his back. And 

 now an amazing thing happened. Of the three boys, 

 suddenly tumbled helter-skelter from their seats, one 

 happened to fall upon the upturned paws of the bear; 

 and Ben, who for years had juggled rope balls, cord 

 sticks, and miniature logs, instantly undertook to 

 give an exhibition with his new implement. Gathering 

 the badly frightened boy into position, the bear set him 

 whirling. His clothing from his shoe tops to his knees 

 was soon ripped to shreds and his legs torn and bleed- 

 ing; his scalp was lacerated by the sharp claws until 

 the blood flew in showers; his cries rose to shrieks and 

 sank again to moans; but the bear, unmoved, kept up 

 the perfect rhythm of his strokes. Finally the terrified 

 lookers-on in the doorway, realizing that something 

 had to be done if their leader was not to be twirled to 

 death before their eyes, tore a rail from the fence and 

 with a few pokes in Ben's side induced him to drop the 

 boy, who was then dragged out apparently more dead 

 than alive. 



Dr. Buckley, of the Northern Pacific Railway Hos- 

 pital, carried young Urlin to his office, shaved his 

 head, took seventy-six stitches in his scalp, and put 

 rolls of surgical plaster on his shins. So square and 

 true had Ben juggled him that not a scratch was found 



